Don't Be Slack

UV 1068/10,000 Don’t be Slack for I will be back
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
Zephaniah 3 v 16

For as John 3 v 16 puts it, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son..” Jesus poured out His life on the cross, was resurrected and ascended to heaven to the Father’s right hand. But in this uni-verse, Jesus is telling the people of His kingdom, God’s nation Zion, “ Don’t be slack for I will be back” -this time as a Righteous King and Judge. A king is someone who has jurisdiction over our lives and to take it away too. We will have to give an account of our lives after we were saved even though our previous debts are cancelled. We are expected to trust in the Name of the Lord but we are also expected to be diligent. The risen Saviour does not exhort us to neglect the opportunities of life but He eggs us on to greater and greater heights of faith, wisdom and excellence.

Our success in every domain should not be ordinary but astounding, out of this world. Our success and excellence should exceed in an abundant way the world’s conception of success and excellence. We are manifestations of Trinity power and grace. We are spiritual planet shakers. We can raise the bar for nations using the lever and perspective of faith. Some of us deliberately drop the “ e” in planet and try to become plant shakers who are too lazy to climb a tree laden with fruit and remain content to stay at the foot of the tree and shake it, hoping to catch a fruit as it falls. The Lord calls us to deal with our fears. We should not be afraid of success or failure, heights or depths, mountains or valleys, the mighty or influential for He who is greater than all is in us and with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Whether we rise to the highest heaven or sink to the bottommost part of the ocean He promises to be at our right hand. His Word is both a shield and a buckler, that is it is both a weapon of offence and defence to accomplish His purpose in our lives.

We are to think, act, speak and behave as citizens of the new Jerusalem. We need to think in terms of abundance and not have a scarcity mentality. There should be neither lies nor deceit uttered by us. We should be meek and humble before the Lord, the Lion of Zion. We should be fearless for what can man or satan do to us when God is with us. We are more than conquerors in Christ and have conquered our fears, our fear of death and its consequences being the greatest fear of mankind. We believe in and exercise the resurrection power and authority of Jesus to stamp on spiritual serpents and scorpions, to break the jaws of the roaring lion, satan, to thwart the attack of foxes and wolves. We should rest in the Lord even as we are restless in prayer.

Prateep V Philip